Raleigh Family Offers “Lights for Lupus” Holiday Display

By Odile Fredericks

Published: December 8, 2016

Photos courtesy of the Reid Family

Members of the Reid family of North Raleigh believe in going all out when it comes to holiday light shows. For the past eight years, Byron and Robin Reid and sons Dylan and Sawyer have put on a spectacular display of 50,000 LED lights, timed to 28 songs.

The “Lights for Lupus” show draws so many onlookers to their home at 1413 Whittington Drive that a press release suggests that visitors park in the neighborhood and walk to the display to avoid traffic congestion. For the past two years, the family has turned their display into a fundraiser for the Lupus Foundation of America’s North Carolina Chapter.

“We have so much fun putting on the light show each year and thought it would make it even more meaningful to raise money for a cause near and dear to me and my family,” says Robin Reid, who was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease, seven years ago. “We appreciate everyone for coming by to enjoy this fun holiday tradition while helping raise funds for lupus research and local support services for those living with lupus.”

The “Lights for Lupus” show at the Reids’ home, located close to Bedford off of Falls of Neuse Road, runs through Friday, Dec. 30, unless it is raining. The display is lit 5:30-9:30 p.m., Sundays-Thursdays; and 5:30-11 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, except for Dec. 18-25, when the lights will stay on until 11 p.m. no matter what night of the week it is. Catch a sneak peek of the light show in all its colorful and musical splendor here.

If you go to see the lights, know that donations are not required but are welcome. All donations will support the "Walk to End Lupus Now: Raleigh" event taking place on April 23, 2017, on North Carolina State University’s Centennial Campus. All gifts are tax-deductible and visitors can support Robin Reid’s lupus fundraising efforts in three ways:

Leave a contribution in the donation box at the house (1413 Whittington Drive, Raleigh).

Annual Guides

The 2018-19 Education Guide offers 678 education resources in the Triangle, including area preschools, private schools, public school systems, charter schools, boarding schools, academic resources and an Exceptional Child special section.